


Homecoming

by greyone01



Series: Damerey Week 2018 [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: DameRey, F/M, JediPilot, Poe Dameron Hurts So Prettily, Poe Dameron Needs A Hug, Rey Needs A Hug, damereyweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2019-08-02 13:40:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16306214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greyone01/pseuds/greyone01
Summary: Almost two decades ago, Poe Dameron left Yavin 4 bright-eyed and ready to face whatever the Galaxy has in store for him. He returns not as a glorious hero with awesome and inspiring tales to tell, but as a haunted and wounded soldier retreating to the sanctuary where he hopes to be un-broken.Day 2 of Damerey Week 2018





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Damerey Week Day 2 prompt: warm

“How did she fly, Poe?” Rose Tico asked as she watched Commander Poe Dameron disembark from Black One. “Anything you’d like me to check?”

“Flew like a dream, nothing to complain about,” Poe replied, walking over to where Rose was. He glanced back, and watched as BB-8 was lowered to the ground. 

“I’d still like to do the usual diagnostics, if you don’t mind,” Rose said. “Finn might be busy with his new trainees for the next couple of hours anyway.”

Poe shrugged. “Sure, go ahead. I’ll be in command if you need me.” He beckoned for BB-8 to follow him, but before he could go, Rose stepped back to block him. “Poe, why don’t you give yourself some down time first?” 

Poe gave her a tight smile. “I’m good, Rose. I need to start discussing the intel we got with the other officers anyway.”

Rose gave him a stern look, but stepped out of his way. She silently watched him and BB-8 walk away. While he continued to carry himself with the bearing of an officer, it wasn’t lost on her that there was something forlorn with the way the man strode out of the hangar. The rest of Black Squadron were gathered in front of one of the X-wings, and the Poe of old used to saunter over to his squadron and unwind with them after missions like the one they just concluded.

Poe Dameron used to effortlessly give off a warm and bright aura. Nowadays, he’s more melancholy and more work-driven. His smiles do not reach his eyes anymore. He spends just enough time with his friends to maintain their friendship. The tableau of the man and his droid, in the less busy areas of the base, was becoming more and more a common sight, with the astromech’s optic sensor often astutely observing the comings and goings of everyone around them while his master sits quietly beside him. It was clear, even to those who did not know him very well, that Poe Dameron was a broken man.

“Where’s Poe going?” a voice from behind her asked, making Rose turn around. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Finn, but she couldn’t hide the concern in her voice when she tells him where their friend was headed. 

Finn sighed. “What are we going to do about him?” It was not the first time the question had come up between them. 

“We know where she is.” A new voice joined the conversation. Finn and Rose turned to the source of the voice, and found themselves facing one of the Black Squadron pilots, and possibly one of Poe’s oldest friends, Suralinda Javos. Behind her was the rest of Black Squadron.

Finn’s eyes narrowed. “And how did you come to get this information?”

“What’s round and orange and doesn’t have legs?” Jessika Pava asked back.

“BB-8!” Rose gasped. “BB-8 knew all this time where Rey is?”

Snap Wexley shook his head. “I don’t think so. BB-8 came to me just before we left for our mission and shared that information with me. Apparently, he had this droid-droid connection with R2-D2. Artoo sent Beebee a message, but forbade sharing this information with a certain commander.”

“So Artoo just told Beebee where they were? Why?” Finn wanted to know.

“Because apparently, she is not faring any better,” Snap said. “You both know Dameron’s been through a lot, but it was this that broke him. Seems like she’s just as broken as he is. Artoo was getting really worried about it, but it doesn’t change the fact that him knowing where she is could lead Kylo Ren to her.”

It was true. It was clear to the Resistance that Rey was what the First Order’s Supreme Leader wanted, and that he will stop at nothing until he gets her. In his attempts to find her, he discovered that he could get into Poe Dameron’s head, some sort of connection from the time when he invaded the pilot’s mind. A connection that Poe was defenseless against – he was not Force-sensitive. It was a cruel twist of fate: the one person that could lead Kylo Ren to Rey was the one person who had grown to love her and vowed to protect her at all costs. When they discovered this, Poe and Rey knew staying together will only lead Kylo Ren to her. 

Poe’s initial plan was to go away while Rey stayed on with the Resistance. He believed the Resistance needed her more than they do him. But before any plans were finalized, a particularly vicious attack from the First Order led to General Leia Organa being severely injured and with Leia temporarily incapacitated, everyone had looked to her favored officer for leadership. The next day, the Millenium Falcon was gone.

Rose looked at the pilots questioningly. “So what do you want to do about this new info?”

“Do we have any ship that can travel to Yavin 4?” Kare Kun asked. 

Rose’s eyes widened in surprise. “Rey is in Yavin 4? Poe’s home?”

“We are just asking if there are any ships that can travel to Yavin 4,” Jess said in a low tone. “Tico, you know that guy’s got superhuman hearing, keep your voice down.”

“Right, sorry Jess,” Rose said in a much quieter tone. She thought for a moment. “Yes, I think we do have something for that purpose.”

“Good,” Jess grinned slyly. “Let’s prep that ship, while Snap here will have a word with the General.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally had the chance to continue this WIP. This chapter still doesn't quite take the story to the "warm" part of the galaxy, but I promise as the tale unfolds, it'll eventually get there.

General Leia Organa’s eyes were weary as they met her second in command’s similarly weary ones. “Poe, please. Don’t make me pull rank and order you to do this.”

Commander Poe Dameron pursed his lips adamantly. “Leia, I don’t need to take some time off, I’m fine. Not now, when we’ve only just got back. You only just got back.”

“That’s precisely why this is the best time for you to go home for a bit,” Leia replied. “You brought your squadron back to us. Snap can take over your responsibilities for the meantime, plus we now have the rest of your squadron to provide additional firepower and aerial support. And I am much better now.”

“You’re not happy with how I handled things while you were sick.”

“You were exemplary holding down the fort,” Leia said sincerely. “I have no problems with that. However, it has come to my attention that the recent events seemed to have affected you far more deeply than I initially thought.” She sighed. “Poe, I need you here, but not like this. I’ll never forgive myself if I allow you to continue broken like this.”

“I’m fine,” Poe said for the umpteenth time, but with much less conviction than his previous declarations. He had a sinking feeling that her concern for his well-being was not the real reason behind her request for him to go home. 

“No you’re not,” Leia shook her head. “You have nightmares practically every time you sleep, you’re second-guess yourself and you’re starting to withdraw from everyone.”

“With all due respect, General, I’m just not buying that bantha-shit.” His tone was low and resigned, but his eyes were unflinching when they met hers. “I know that’s not the real reason. I’ve been in worse shape than this, and I’ve put us in deeper shit, but none of those have made you kick my sorry ass home. At least give it to me straight. If you really care as you say you do, at least tell me the real reason you want me gone.”

Leia’s eyes were just as resolute as she held his gaze for a few tense moments. “All right,” she said, her tone turning deadly serious. “It gives me no joy to say this, Commander, but if that’s what you want, then here’s the brutal truth. Rey leaving has not changed the fact that Kylo Ren still has a connection with you. I have tried to work around it, but I can’t continue having you as my second in command or in any leadership role in the Resistance, if I have to keep sensitive and vital information from you. I am grateful and will be forever in your debt for all you’ve done for our cause, and for all your sacrifices, but it has gotten to the point that your being here puts us in great danger, and keeping you around will eventually lead the First Order back to us.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 

“I am relieving you of your duties, Commander. Thank you for your service and sacrifice.”

Her words stung, but he did ask for it. This was the end for him, he knew it was coming, he knew it was inevitable. He suddenly wished that he had died on that ship, or that he had perished when the TIE fighter he and Finn had escaped on had crashed. He would have been spared of a lot of heartache and he would’ve spared the Resistance a lot of grievances. Rey would never have had to leave the only family she’s ever known, and with her on their side, maybe the Resistance would’ve been in a better position now. 

“Poe.” Leia’s tone was gentle now, and when he looked at her, he almost crumbled like the broken man he believed he was. Leia stood and moved around her desk, and without a word, took him in her arms as a mother would. She said her next words not as his commanding officer, but as a person who had come to love him as if he was her own son. “I never imagined we would end it like this, and I’m so, so, so very sorry that it did. He’s already taken my son, my husband, my brother, and because of what he did to you, he’s also taken you from me. Poe, please don’t ever think that my decision to do this changes the way I feel about you – to me, you will always be the son I didn’t deserve.” She raised a hand to cup his cheek. “We may not be flesh and blood, but you’ll always be a son to me.”

“I know,” he said simply, covering her hand with his. “Thank you for everything, Leia.” He lets her pull him in a motherly embrace, and his smile was sad when he pulled away. “Before I go, I need to ask you to do three things for me.”

“Let’s hear it, and if I can do it, then I will,” Leia remarked.

“Once I’m gone, please get Rey back,” he pleaded. “I know you probably know where she is, and I’m not even going to ask you about that, but I just…please just get her back. I promised her she won’t ever be alone again for as long as I’m alive, and I was going to leave anyway, so she can stay here with you. But she left so quickly, before I had the chance to do that. Please help me keep my promise to her.”

Leia nodded. “Very well. I’ll see to it that you do.”

“Thank you,” Poe said gratefully, with a sad smile. “The second thing is…BB-8. If I’m leaving and Rey is coming back, I’d like to leave BB-8 with you until Rey gets back here. She loves that droid, and Beebee’s grown quite attached to her, too. And I’ll just be in the farm with Dad, no x-wings to fly.”

“Are you sure? I can always get Rey another droid, or she can have Artoo. You should take BB-8 with you. That droid’s practically an extension of you.”

“That’s one of the reasons I want Rey to have him,” Poe managed to joke. “No, seriously, I think it’ll be a waste of Beebee’s skills to have him doing farm work with me. It’ll be better if he continues what he does best, fly. With Rey.”

“All right, but you be the one to tell your droid,” Leia conceded. “Droids choose the human, it’s not the other way around. Look at what happened to Artoo when Luke left. I don’t want your droid to do the same thing.”

“He won’t,” Poe promised. “I’ll talk to him, but I think once he finds out he’ll be with Rey, he’ll be fine.”

“If you say so. And the third thing?”

“Please kick the First Order’s asses. Win this damn war.” Poe looked at her resolutely, then he pulled himself in attention and saluted her smartly.

“It has been an honor fighting beside you, General. May the Force be with you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, and I'm hoping everyone will stick around for the next chapters -- I'm struggling to wrap it up in one chapter, hence the change in the chapter count.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got to the "warm" part -- touchdown on Yavin IV

“I’m going to kill that droid when I find him!” Poe grumbled as he and his father watched the U-wing soar until it was just a speck in the clear Yavin sky.

Kes Dameron chuckled and clapped his son on the back. “You should have known it would take more than just sweet-talk to make that droid leave you.”

“I know, Dad,” Poe sighed. “I thought I gave him a good enough reason. You should have seen how he was around Rey.” _You should have seen how I was around Rey_ , he silently added. He gave his father a weak smile. “I guess you can add this to the long list of things I meant to do for her but couldn’t quite follow through.”

“Oh, son,” Kes said, pulling Poe close for a hug. He nearly had a panic attack when Leia Organa holo’d, fearing that she was going to give him the news he prayed he will never get. When she told him about the whole thing, Kes’ initial relief had slowly turned into sorrow. His son was alive, he was coming home, but he didn’t know how much of the boy he used to know was left in the man who was returning home.

Poe let himself sag into his father’s arms, the familiar embrace that he didn’t realize he needed so badly. For the first time since she left, he found himself feeling warmth once again. He knew he did not have to tell his father about what happened, that Leia had already told Kes about it, so he just let himself soak the comfort that his father was freely giving. He suddenly felt like he was eight again, leaning on his father as he struggled to bear the burden of losing another loved one.

Because that was what Rey had become to him. A loved one. They were thrown together under the most extreme circumstances, both bearing hefty emotional baggage. Torture buddies, he called them initially, and they did what buddies did – leaned on each other as they tried to slowly sort through the baggage and continue surviving. With the healing came the unexpected blossoming of something wonderful that eventually pushed all the hurt away.

It was so subtle that neither realized what was happening until they were both hopelessly entangled deep into it. One random day, they found themselves alone in the Falcon, in the same spot where they met a little over a year before. She was rolling her eyes at some cheesy joke he said, and he grinning at her attempt to suppress her laugh. Neither backed away when they realized how close they were standing to each other, and he threw caution to the wind and kissed her. When they left the Falcon much later, she kept her hand in his.

It was good while it lasted, despite all the horror that was happening around them. Just when he was starting to let himself believe that there might actually be a future for them, the curve ball came and she was gone.

“I should go and see where that droid’s gone,” Poe spoke up finally, reluctantly pulling away from his dad.

“I think there’s only one place where he could’ve gone,” Kes remarked knowingly. They began walking towards the house Poe grew up in. They paused when they were a few meters away, where a lesser used path branched out of the one they were walking on. Kes nodded to the other path. “Go on, son, I’ll be inside.”

“It’s really good to see you, Dad,” Poe clapped his father on the shoulder before veering away and started going down the familiar path. He had done this trek countless times in the past, his years away not making his steps now any less uncertain. It wasn’t long before he could feel its power, and as it had always done, the sight of the Tree left him a bit awestruck. It was just as he remembered it, majestic in the warm jungle, leaves glistening where the sun touched them. He could see his wayward astromech on its familiar spot at the foot of the tree, next to the gigantic roots where Poe spent hours nestled against. The droid meekly beeped an apology as his master approached. Poe sighed and gave him a fond tap on the dome. He could never really stay angry at his faithful sidekick for long.

“You should’ve gone back to Rey,” he softly admonished, settling down on his favorite spot between two exposed roots of the Tree. The Tree seemed to welcome him as he leaned back and found that he still fit perfectly on his spot. He liked the feeling of having the roots on either side of him, ensconcing him in a comforting embrace. Resting his elbows on his bent knees, he closed his eyes and laid his head against the Tree.

“He did.”

Poe’s eyes flickered open, his heart hammering wildly at the sound of her voice. She stood a few feet in front of him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Before he could say anything, before he could make up his mind whether she was really there or it was some magic from the Tree, she closed the distance between them. She settled on the space between his knees and then she was in his arms. Poe held her tightly, shocked beyond words that she was really there.

“I missed you, flyboy,” she whispered against his chest. She inhaled deeply, breathing in his familiar scent. Her tears were starting to soak his shirt, and she could feel his on her hair. Her heart was pounding as fast as his, her emotions making her tremble in his arms.

“Gods, Rey,” Poe murmured in her hair. “Are you really here? Or is this some kind of a Force illusion?”

Rey chuckled wetly through the tears. “That’s not how the Force works!” She raised her head from his chest and gazed adoringly at his beautiful face. “Well, it kind of does, but illusions can’t do this.” She reached up and lovingly brushed his hair from his temple, before pressing her lips to his.

Poe couldn’t hold back any longer. He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss, feeling an unbelievable lightness as all the grief started to slide away. She was quick to respond, matching his intensity. He felt her sag completely against him as he tightened his arms around her. Finally, the need for air made them break apart. Rey buried her face on the crook of Poe’s neck as they both tried to calm their racing hearts.

When she finally caught her breath, she lifted her head to look at him. “Poe.”

“Hmmm?”

“I don’t have time to explain, but I need you to trust me,” she started, her tone serious. “We don’t have much time.”

“Huh? Time for what?” Poe snapped out of his stupor, and found that her expression was as serious as her tone.

“I may have found a way to break the bond,” she said. “But you will have to let me into your head.”

Poe looked shocked, her request rendering him speechless. He remembered all too well how it felt the last time someone else was in his head, and it was certainly one experience he never wish to have again. Despite their intimacy, there was never an instance when Rey had gone into Poe’s mind. Having experienced it herself, she was extremely careful about that particular use of the Force.

“We have to do this now, before he tries to reach for you again,” Rey pleaded. “I can’t promise it won’t hurt, but it may be the only way to cut this connection.”

“Do what you have to,” Poe finally said softly but firmly, choosing faith in her over fear. “I trust you, Rey. Completely. Do what you have to do, don’t hold back.”

Rey nodded. She pressed her lips one more time against his, before resting her forehead against his. “Whatever happens, keep your back against the Tree and don’t let go of me.”

He managed to a small smile as he leaned back against the forked roots of the Tree. He pulled her to his body such that she was almost completely lying on him. “I was hoping you’d say that someday. Well, except maybe for the Tree part.”

Rey had to laugh a little with his words. She then took a deep breath and whispered, “Hold tight, flyboy, here we go.”

Poe braced himself for intense pain, closing his eyes. Instead, he felt her tentative push in his mind. Reaching out with his mind, he connected with her and pulled her in. He was expecting pain, but none came. As he tightened his embrace around her, all he felt was warmth as she flooded his consciousness.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An attempt to break the bond, and, father and son spend some time together.

Poe found himself in a sea of gray haze, blindly turning to the warmth that seemed to be tentatively moving closer to him. Then he saw Rey approaching him through the haze. He stood still, watching her come closer. When she was within his reach, he held out a hand and felt her grasp it, entwining her fingers through his. He followed her gaze to their hands and silently, they both watched as a glowing silver cord began to snake over their joined hands.

“Whatever happens, don’t let go of me.” Her words rang loud and clear, and Poe tightened his hold on her hand.

Suddenly, he felt the wind get knocked out of him. Before he could say anything, he felt himself being sucked away from her. He felt something grip his feet, slowly wrapping around his legs and going up his body. He tried to take a step, but his legs felt like lead. He fought to quell the rising wave of panic that started to wash over him as the pressure began to rise get tighter around his body. He could feel her hand being pulled away from his grip, and to his dismay, he found his hand refusing to tighten his hold. He closed his eyes and tried to pour everything he’s got to make his hand move. Her hand continued to slip away.

His breath became ragged and labored, his heart racing in his chest as the pressure continued to build up. His eyes flicked open and his heart nearly stopped when he found himself looking at the mask that dominated his nightmares.

Poe felt his body tilting back, and he realized he was bound on that table again. He was back at the Finalizer, and he was about to get his mind ripped apart again. Kylo Ren’s arm began to rise, his hand looming closer to his face. 

He almost missed the almost imperceptible twitch of her hand. Reflexively, the movement made him try once again to squeeze her hand, and this time, he found that he could move his hand again. Kylo Ren loomed closer, and he could feel invisible hands gripping his head – he knew what came next. 

As he had done so many times in his nightmares, Poe shut his eyes and braced himself for the tearing pain that he knew was about to come. 

It never came.

Silence. 

And then he felt himself being pulled back.

He opened his eyes and saw Kylo Ren continuing to raise his arm, but he was thankfully falling farther away. He stopped resisting the pull, until he realized that while he was moving away, the hand he held was not. Every fiber of his being wanted to give in to the pull, to let go of the hand that’s stopping him from the first possible means of escape from the monster in front of him. The pull was becoming stronger, the promise of freedom from Kylo Ren so overwhelming he felt himself starting to loosen his grip on her hand.

He knew he had to hold on, he had to trust her. With all the strength he could muster, he began to tighten his hold again. Going against the pull, he reached up with his other hand until he was clutching her wrist. His feet searched for any foothold, his left foot eventually succeeding.

As suddenly as it began, the pull stopped. 

Still clutching her hand, he hoisted himself up. Kylo Ren’s arm was now fully extended, but instead of finding the gloved hand in front of his face, Poe realized that he was now standing to the right of the tilted table. 

He was horrified to find Rey where he was just a few moments ago. She was gritting her teeth as she fought against Kylo Ren’s attempts to get into her head. He moved to knock Kylo’s arm away, but to his horror, Poe saw his hand just go through Kylo’s arm, as if there was nothing there but air.

When Rey opened her mouth to let out a silent scream, Poe felt a familiar warmth envelope him. Right then, he knew what his had to do. As he had in Takodana, he reached out into the warmth and allowed it in. He let it guide his movements, trusted in it to let it use him as a channel. He then saw Rey close her eyes and as she did, Kylo Ren stumbled backwards as if hit by an invisible force.

Poe felt the pull again, but this time, he felt her drifting with him as he tugged her hand. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the silver cords manifest again, glowing as it bound their joined hands. Abandoning all restraints against the pull, Poe allowed it to draw him away, Rey drifting along with him. Faster and faster they freely submitted to the pull.

Poe felt himself collide painlessly to something solid. As the increasing brightness around him forced him to close his eyes, he felt the familiar warmth wash over him. Ensuring that their hands are securely clasped together, he succumbed to the warmth once again.

*****

When Poe opened his eyes, he found himself in a very familiar place. He was back in his bed, in his old room, in his father’s house. Looking to the window on his left, he could see the weak light of day, and from the sounds outside, he knew it was dawn. 

Was it all a dream?

A stream of beeps from the right side of his bed caught his attention, and he turned just in time to see his droid rush out of his room. He barely had time to gather his thoughts when the droid rushed back in, his father not far behind.

“Poe! Are you all right?” Kes asked, his face wrought with concern. He sat on the edge of the bed as Poe gingerly tried to sit up.

“I think so,” Poe replied, his eyes a bit glassy as they focused on the most important man in his life. Kes reached out and held his son’s face with his hands, his own eyes filling with tears. “Maybe you should lie back down, son.”

“What happened?” Poe asked, still unsure if the recent events were a dream or if he was still dreaming. “Rey…”

“Rey helped me get you back here,” Kes explained. “Two days ago.”

“I’ve been out for two days?!” Poe exclaimed. “Where’s Rey?”

“Three. You’ve been out for three days,” Kes told him. “You and Rey at the Tree - you were both still unmoving for a full day, I thought I lost you both. What’s the last thing you remember?”

It wasn’t lost on Poe that his father seemed to intentionally not answer his question. “I was with Rey. At the Tree.” His eyes met his father’s eyes again, but this time, they were clear and focused. “She was going to try to break the bond.”

Kes nodded. “I think she did.”

“So where is she?” There was a hint of panic in his voice. “Why isn’t she here?”

“She’s gone.”

“What do you mean, gone?” There was definitely panic in his voice now. 

Kes sighed. “After we got you settled here, she left. She explained to me what happened, and while she believes the bond is broken, she said she doesn’t know for sure. She said she needed to make sure it was.”

“Gods, Dad, what was she going to do?” Poe felt a lump forming in his throat. 

“I’m sorry, son, but I agreed with her on this one,” Kes said gently. He laid a hand on Poe’s knee. “I trust her, Poe. I believe her, I believe in her. You got to, as well.”

“Kriff, Dad, I do, but I also know her,” Poe replied, running a hand through his hair. “If you thought I was reckless and had no sense of self-preservation, that’s nothing compared to Rey.”

Kes managed to smile wryly. “I know. You have no idea how many times I’ve had to talk your girl out of carrying out her more outrageous plans of trying to break that bond.” He gave a small chuckle before turning serious again. “This time, though, I couldn’t stop her. When she told me what she was going to do, I had to admit it sounded very plausible. Leia did, too, when she told her, which was why she agreed to play her part on this. But while both Leia and me were against the last part of her plan, neither of us could stop her. I think maybe you were the only one who could’ve told her otherwise, which was probably why she left before you woke up.”

Poe snorted. “I wouldn’t bet on that. My guess is I was taking too long to come to, and she just couldn’t wait for me to wake up.”

Kes rolled his eyes. “Don’t sell yourself short, son. I’ve seen how she was when she talked about you, and then I saw how she was looking at you, how she touched you when we were moving you.” He held his son’s eyes in a steady gaze. “You were not just anybody to her. You’re the most important person to her. She said she was going to make sure the bond was broken, she didn’t want that monster coming after you just to get to her.”

“If it wasn’t broken, he’ll know she was here,” Poe said quietly. 

“That’s why she wanted to leave,” Kes confirmed. “She wanted to be somewhere far, and at a place where she may at least have the upper ground if she did have to face him.”

Poe realized there was only one place where that was possible. As quickly as it came to him, he regretted how sure he felt that he knew where she went. “She went back to Jakku.”

*****

Kes hated lying to his son, but in these circumstances, he knew it was necessary. He was sincere when he told Poe that he trusted and believed in Rey, after having known the girl for a few weeks. He had to admit, her plan sounded good, but it required him to pull perhaps the biggest deception to his son. Maker, he hoped it wasn’t from him that Poe inherited his inability to lie.

Kes sighed. It still astounds him how he somehow found himself a participant in another kriffing war. But, maybe it was just right that he was – what he had fought for, what he and Shara had sacrificed so much for, was under threat. Poe and his future had been their driving force, and he would not sit back and let anyone destroy that.

Which was why when Leia told him of the plan, he readily agreed to take part in it. He had known about Poe being captured by the First Order almost two years ago, but his son had not disclosed to him the extent of the torture he was subjected to. He saw the physical wounds when they holo’d after his return to the Resistance, but he was unaware of the unseen wounds. In their subsequent conversations, Poe seemed to be recovering just fine, especially when he began telling him about Rey. Kes thought that Rey was another one of Poe’s infatuations, and he was actually a bit surprised that Poe talked about her with him at all. He was even more surprised to continue hearing about her and only her over the next couple of months. The first time he realized that it was not a mere infatuation was when Poe was visibly heartbroken when Rey left. 

It would be about a week later when Leia contacted him. She told him that Rey had finally gotten in touch with her, and that she somehow convinced Rey to head to Yavin 4, Poe’s Force Tree and Kes being the main selling points of her argument. Leia herself had grown fond of the girl, so if Kes agreed, then at least Rey will not have to be alone in this ordeal. Of course Kes agreed, especially after Leia shared with him what she observed about how much Poe and Rey meant to each other. The very next day, Kes found himself welcoming the girl from Jakku to his home.

Rey was skittish at first. Kes had given her Poe’s old room to use, where she spent most of her time in during the first few days. The astromech R2D2 had come with her, and fortunately, Kes understood binary (thanks to BB-8) and Artoo proved to be a mine of information. Eventually, Rey began to feel more comfortable around him and they began sharing anecdotes of the one person they both cared about – Poe. He found out more about his son’s life in the Resistance, and she found out more about the boy Poe used to be. It wasn’t long before he realized that he wouldn’t mind having her as a daughter.

It seemed, though, it wasn’t time for him to have a daughter yet. He had to take care of his son first.

The next few days was hard for both father and son. Poe seemed lost in the house he grew up in, not quite sure what to do with himself. Kes tried to give Poe the space he knew Poe needed, but he also did not want to appear distant. They had a good relationship, but the years of separation had obviously taken its toll. 

“You’re not on house arrest, you know,” Kes finally told Poe one day when he found Poe polishing BB-8’s dome head for the second time that day. “You can take my speeder to go to town, maybe catch up with your old buddies.”

“And tell them what? How I was discharged from service because I had become such a big liability?” He sighed and put down the microfiber cloth he was using on BB-8. “I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t mean to snap.”

Kes waved his apology away. “You know that’s not the case. I already told you how Leia and Rey worked together to get you here.”

“Yeah, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’m still pretty useless now,” Poe said dejectedly. 

“Maybe not for long,” Kes pointed out. “I told you, I believe in her. You got to have more faith in your girl.”

“It’s not that I have no faith in her. I do and I would trust her with anything,” Poe declared. He sighed again and met his father’s eyes. “It’s me, and I can’t shake this feeling I have about, well, about the Force.”

“You can feel the Force?”

“No, not feel the Force,” Poe shook his head. He took a deep breath. “Look, Dad, I haven’t told anybody about this, not even Rey. I hope you won’t think I’m crazy, but please hear me out.”

“All right,” Kes nodded seriously, curious to what Poe wanted to tell him.

Poe regarded him silently for a moment before speaking again. “Okay, here goes. You know I used to spend a lot of time with the Tree. I’ve always felt drawn to it, and I’ve always felt like…it embraces me whenever I’m around it. Even after I left, it was like I was never really separated from it. I think that’s what pushed me to do stuff that most would consider daring or reckless. I always felt that I would be able to beat the odds, and when I started doing so, it was like there was something out there that was pulling me through.” He paused, and seeing that Kes was patiently taking what he was saying, he went on. “Dad, I thought, I believed, the Force favored me. I know that sounds presumptious, because I never did anything to deserve that, but I don’t know how else I got out of all the deep shit I managed to get myself into.”

“If you believe that, then why are you looking so hopeless now?”

“Because it hasn’t felt like that in a while,” Poe admitted. “It’s like I’ve fallen out of favor. Maybe I’ve pushed it too far, maybe my good run’s over. That’s why I don’t want to get my hopes up for this thing.”

Kes looked pensive as he regarded his son. Then he abruptly got up and motioned Poe to do the same. When they were both standing face to face, he nodded to the door. “Poe, I tried raised you to be better than this,” Kes finally spoke up. “And I thought I did. So if you just accept your fate like this, if you choose not to do anything about it, then I failed.” He walked to the door, and when Poe did not move, his tone became sterner. “From how I see it, you got in the Force’s good graces because you nurtured that Tree, you spent time with it. Perhaps that’s what you need to do again. And if I have to drag your ass every single day for that to happen, then I will.”

Poe looked up and saw his father extend a hand to him, a gentle smile on the older man’s face. “Come on, son,” Kes said in a softer tone. “Let’s go back to the Tree. It pains me to see you like this, don’t just accept your fate like this. What have we got to lose if we try to re-acquaint you with the Tree?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Took awhile to update, work kept me away for almost 2 weeks. If anyone is still following this story, thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've upped the rating, mainly because of the language at the latter part of this chapter.

Despite his years in the military, early starts were never easy for Poe. By the time he gets up at midmorning, his father had already left to attend to the farm. As he did when he was a boy, he headed to the Force Tree after his morning routine. He would spend the rest of the morning there, but instead of playing on the branches, he now just browses on his datapad as he sits among the Tree’s roots, with BB-8 nearby. If there were messages from his friends back on base, the droid would play those for him. Sometimes he would send them messages, but most of the messages he sends were just polite replies to those who cared enough to reach out to him.

He had to admit, his father was right. At first, he was not sure how to reconnect with the Tree. He couldn’t help but feel a deep ache when he remembered that the last time he was there, he was holding Rey. As he approached the Tree on his own, he felt almost timid – like a wayward child approaching the parent he strayed from. He started by checking the Tree for any parasites, for any signs of disease. Eventually, when there was nothing left to check, he would settle against one of the roots and either chat with BB-8 or browse on his datapad. Every day, he grew more confident and at ease with approaching the Tree, and he started to remember and to feel again why he found so much comfort in its presence. He felt as if he was reunited with an old friend.

*****

She waited several days before she finally saw him. Rey sighed in relief at the first sight of Poe emerging from the thicket of trees were the well-worn path from his house to the Force Tree ended. He looked a little lost as he stood before the great tree, running a hand through his hair. It wasn’t lost on her, though, how he regarded the tree with both reverence and familiarity. From her vantage point several meters away, she felt the unmistakable shift in the Force energy that emanated from the tree.

The Force Tree was one of the things she and Poe talked frequently about, and it may have been one of the things that brought them together. He had first mentioned of it in passing shortly after they met each other aboard the Falcon. Then one day, he found her studying the ancient Jedi texts she pilfered from Ach-To, and she told him of about the demise of Luke’s Force Tree. He began telling her then of the Force Tree he grew up with, and that led to many conversations about the Tree. Her time with Luke’s Force Tree was brief, and her curiosity about the Force Trees piqued when she realized she was in company with someone who knew of them in a personal level. Poe was patient with her almost incessant queries, and she learned that even if he wasn’t Force sensitive in the way she and Luke were, he had a special connection with the Force, a connection that he probably wasn’t even aware of.

Silently she watched him examine the Tree today, and it was as if the Tree was responding to his presence. Before he came home, Rey herself had spent a lot of time with the Tree. She had felt it welcoming her, but it was different from what she was feeling from the Tree now. It felt like the Tree was, if it was even possible, trying to show affection to Poe.

Rey smiled to herself with this realization. She shouldn’t be surprised, really. She really shouldn’t be surprised that even Force Trees were charmed by Poe Dameron. 

*****

He continued his daily visits to the Force Tree, she continued watching from the shadows, and as far as she could tell, he was totally unaware of her presence. It pained her that she couldn’t reveal herself, but she needed to wait and be ready for what she knew would eventually happen. Poe not knowing she was there was vital to the plan, and is perhaps the only real way to tell if the bond had been totally severed. It may also be her only advantage when the inevitable happens.

She could see that Poe was beginning to be more his usual self. There was still a melancholy air to him, but she could feel it start to lift as the days went on. There were still those times when he would just rest his face on his hands or lean back on the tree, eye closed, and waves of sadness would just emanate from him, so strong that she struggled to hold back her tears whenever this happened. Afterwards, long after he’s left, she sits in quiet amazement that someone could possibly care for her that much, much more someone like Poe, and how she felt exactly the same (or maybe even more) for him. It took a lot of willpower to remain hidden from him, but waiting was something she was good at.

It was perhaps a month later when she knew something was different. There was a strange buzz in the air, and from how Poe regarded the Tree, she knew he could feel it, too. On a hunch, she quickly messaged Leia on her comm, today may be the day they were waiting for. In her hiding place, Rey reached out into the Force and at the same time, raised up the invisible walls to protect herself from any outside intrusions. Poe seemed skittish near the Force Tree, and Rey prayed that he would not break his routine.

“Stay put, Rey,” came Leia’s soft voice on her comm link. “Wait for my order.”

“Yes, General,” Rey replied just as softly. She continued to watch Poe, her senses alert, her guard up. 

She didn’t have to wait long. In less than hour, the Supreme Leader of the First Order was standing face to face with the best pilot of the Resistance.

*****

Poe felt a prickle at the back of his neck, and he knew it was not good. There was only one person that could evoke that from him, and he certainly does not want to have to go through what happened in his last interaction with him. 

“Where is she?”

Poe closed his eyes at the sound of his gravelly voice, heart pounding. He was facing the Tree, and while he knew this was a vulnerable position, he felt quite helpless about the whole situation. He was unarmed, he was alone with this monster and it was very likely that the Supreme Leader of the First Order had not come alone. 

“Where is she?” This time, there was urgency in Kylo Ren’s tone. Poe continued to ignore him and desperately tried to think of how prevent this situation from ending badly for him. Before he could think any further, he felt himself being gripped by an unseen hand and was flung back to the Tree. He hit the trunk with a thud. There was a tight pressure on his neck, lifting him off his feet and keeping him pinned to the Tree.

“Ignore me again, pilot, and you will find yourself one with the tree.”

“I told you before, it’s kinda hard to understand when you’re wearing that.”

“And like before, I don’t need your cooperation in getting what I want.” Poe felt the invisible vise on his neck tighten. “But unlike last time, I will not make the same mistake of not finishing you off after this.”

“Then just do it already!” Poe shouted. “Rip my mind open, crush my throat, do what you want! You will get nothing, I don’t know where she is!”

“I find that hard to believe,” Kylo jeered, stepping closer to Poe. “I know you were here with her.”

“If you know so much, then you knew what happened next!”

“I find no pleasure being in your head when you do your filthy activities together.” 

Poe felt a surge of hope. His brief reunion with Rey seemed to be the last thing Kylo Ren got from him. While he was still clearly at the mercy of the masked man, he decided to push a little bit more. “Really? You missed a lot then, Your Darth-ness. The stars, the fireworks, the whole shebang. Then that divine descent –“ 

“Shut up!” Kylo growled, his hold on the pilot tightening yet some more. “I did not come here to know what goes on in that disgusting puny mind of yours when you fuck her. You will tell me where that scavenger is!”

“So you can go and fuck her yourself?” Poe hissed. “Not in kriffing hells!”

“You’re no match for her,” Kylo said coldly. “She will never reach her full potential if she stays with a scruffy pilot like you.”

“And you think she will with you? You think you can make me give her up by telling me that?”

“If you value her as much as you claim you do, then you will want her to have what’s best for her.”

“Yeah, like you would know what’s best for her,” Poe spat. He was getting tired of their conversation. Obviously, Kylo Ren cannot get into his head anymore. It was looking more and more likely that once the Supreme Leader figures out that Poe Dameron is no longer of use to him, then Poe Dameron’s existence no longer mattered. He was nearing the end of his line, and he decided then to at least get one message across. He looked straight into the dark mask in front of him. “Rey is not something we should be negotiating over. She is her own person, she gets to choose who she goes with, or what she does with her life. Whether or not she will reach her full potential with her choice, it doesn’t matter. It’s her choice. I will fight for her and I will fight for her to be able to make her choice, even if in the end it might not be me.”

“Brave words, pilot. No wonder General Organa favors you,” Kylo mocked. His next words surprised Poe. “I may still have some use for you.”

“What now?” Poe was wary, and he felt the grip on his neck lessen by a fraction. “What can a scruffy pilot do for the Supreme Leader of the First Order? You do realize I’m no longer part of the Resistance, your mother fired me.”

“Join me.”

“What did you just say? If this is your idea of a joke, it’s not funny.”

“Join me,” Kylo repeated seriously. “Join me in the First Order. Together, let’s find the scavenger.”

“And then what?”

“Then you will see what I meant about her reaching her full potential. You will be right there to witness how we will rule the galaxy, and you would’ve been instrumental in making that happen.”

“Didn’t anything I just said got through that thick helmet of yours? She is not a prize to be hunted down!”

“She is the balance I seek,” Kylo said in an almost soft tone. “Together, we will balance each other, and order will be restored.”

“A load of bantha-shit.”

“Perhaps if you stop thinking with your dick, you will see the bigger picture.” Kylo paused briefly, then added, as if an afterthought, “Join the First Order.”

“You’re out of your kriffing mind!”

“And what will become of you here? You’re not with the Resistance anymore, there is no New Republic to go back to. If you come with me, I will restore your rank and you will be back in the cockpit of a starship.”

“No!”

“Then I will leave you to rot in here,” Kylo remarked. “I will find that girl, I promise you. With or without your help. The only way you’ll live to see her again is if you help me find her.”

“Go. To. Kriffing. Hells.” Poe snarled, gritting his teeth. 

“Too bad for you, I was even willing to consider letting you continue to fuck her, if you help me find her. As it is, you've made your choice. Prepare to die.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I would finish this story over the weekend, but I needed to pull extra shifts because of a gastro bug that's been going around at work. There's probably one or two chapters left, and I'm aiming to wrap things up for this fic before the end of the week. Thanks to all those sticking around to read it!
> 
> PS - Just a friendly reminder to everyone to please always wash your hands, and if you're sick - stay at home. Your co-workers might grumble about the extra work they'll have to do but they will be grateful to you for sharing that bug.


	6. Chapter 6

Rey watched and listened to the exchange between the men before the Force Tree. She heard the words clearly, and at one time, she may have felt severely wounded by his words, but today she felt nothing but disappointment.

There was a time when Rey believed that she was destined to be with Ben Solo. Now, looking at things in retrospect, she realized that she had been played and it nearly cost her everything. She hadn’t known better then, her experience of having anything that resembled a friendship limited to the briefest interactions with BB-8, Finn and Han Solo. The frequent interactions with Kylo Ren through the Force Bond made it easy for her to get drawn to him, to believe that they shared some sort of a special relationship, but now she knew he simply had been preying on her vulnerability. 

Now, after having spent more than a year with the Resistance, Rey knew better. The relationships she had with the people around her did not develop with the same swift intensity as her connection with Ben, but the slow development gave it the time to establish solid and deep foundations that would make it stand the test of time. She now knew friendship, camaraderie, and even love. What she ever felt for Ben paled in comparison.

She could feel rage starting to build up in her, not because of his words, but because of what he was doing to Poe. She waited in nervous anticipation for Leia’s order, focusing on keeping her defenses up in order to prevent Kylo Ren from detecting her presence. Still, she knew that no matter how much she trusted Leia, she began preparing to burst out of her hiding place when she saw how Kylo Ren was tightening his Force choke on Poe. But before she could do anything, she felt a disturbance in the Force. She nearly gasped as an otherworldly figure materialized beside Poe, startling Kylo. A barely conscious Poe fell in a heap as Ren stepped back, distancing himself from the ghost of his uncle. 

*****

Behind the mask, his face contorted as fury engulfed him. His frustration had been steadily building up from the moment he saw the wretched pilot approach the Force Tree. He had felt a shift in the Force after the briefest glimpse of the pilot reuniting with the scavenger, taking his leave the moment they started becoming amorous. It sickened him to no end how she lets herself go when she’s around the scruffy bastard, wantonly allowing that man to get his way with her. If only she hadn’t possessed such ability and potential, he would have abandoned his pursuit of her.

He did not right away set off for Yavin 4. As much as he desired to capture the girl, he did not trust his general enough to leave him at the helm while he crosses the galaxy to the tropical moon. It was only a few weeks later, when two of his trusted knights had returned from a mission, that he felt ready to set off.

He reached out to the pilot’s mind but there was nothing. That had never happened before, and an uneasy chill ran down his spine. There could only be two possibilities – the pilot was dead, or the bond was broken. The former was more likely, because he knew that even if she was with her pilot, even if she had the ability to break the bond, she did not have the knowledge to do so.

To see the pilot loitering around the Yavinese Force Tree, very much alive, made his blood boil. He underestimated the girl. Fist clenched, he strode determinedly to the man who seemed to have gotten everything that was denied to Ben Solo, to Kylo Ren. From his intelligence officers, he knew of how his mother had taken on Poe Dameron as her protégé, and how the pilot was like a son to her. He had heard of how Poe Dameron was a respected and valued leader in the Resistance, and far cry to how the First Order views Kylo Ren as a leader – he knew that save for a select few, most of those under his command are plotting to depose him, their fear of him the only thing that is keeping him in control. 

And, of course, there is the matter of Rey. He had wanted her to join him, knowing that with her by his side, the entire galaxy will be his. Despite her refusing his offer at the throne room, he knew she was conflicted at that time. He had felt a connection with her, and he knew she felt it, too. He had no doubt then that if he nurtured the Force Bond they shared, she would eventually make her way back to him. That is, until Poe Dameron entered the picture.

He had not known of the bond he had with Dameron. He had gotten into many minds, but it was only with Dameron that he formed a bond with. Of course, only two had lived past the mind-breaking interrogations of Kylo Ren, and he already knew of his Force Bond with the scavenger, a bond he was made to believe that was established by Snoke. He had discovered his connection to the pilot by accident – he was trying to connect with Rey, who had been getting more skilled with blocking him out, but he unwittingly found himself in the pilot’s mind. To his surprise, it was amazingly easy to do that, and as he explored this discovery, he learned that Dameron was not even aware of what was happening. He tried to control the pilot’s thoughts and actions, but it seemed that the only thing the bond allowed him to do was to see Dameron’s thoughts and memories. 

The bond proved to be both a blessing and a curse. Through it, he was able to learn everything the pilot knew of the Resistance, the information giving him and the First Order a huge advantage in their war against the Resistance. He became a spectator in the pilot’s life, and he witnessed how the relationship between the pilot and the scavenger evolved from friendship to something deeper. 

Then the fool began inviting the girl to get into his head. The first time it happened, she nearly stumbled into him lurking in the pilot’s mind. He thought he was able to slip away undetected, but a few weeks later, he found out that it wasn’t a near-stumble. She discovered the bond.

Apparently now, she also discovered a way to sever that bond, and it looked like she may have found a way of preventing him to re-establish the bond. As he held Poe Dameron in a Force grip against the Tree, he tried to rip the other man’s mind open again, but he couldn’t get through. It angered him more, and he was ready to squeeze the life out of Poe Dameron when his uncle materialized beside the pilot.

“I warned you, Ben,” Luke Skywalker now said. “Strike me down and you will never be rid of me.”

“And what can you do? You’re a ghost now, you cannot harm me.”

“That’s where you are mistaken,” Luke shook his head with a smirk. “I may be a ghost, but given the right conditions, I can most certainly be more than a luminous apparition to you.” As if to demonstrate, Luke raised a hand, and Kylo felt himself being thrown in the air. 

He quickly got back on his feet. Drawing into the Force, he held up both hands and pushed fiery energy to Skywalker. The blast went through Luke’s ghost, hitting the Tree instead. 

“Ben.”

The familiar voice off to his side made him turn away from the ghost of his uncle. Behind his mask, he flinched at the sight that greeted him. His mother, the ever regal Leia Organa, looked nothing like the confident strong woman he had always seen her to be. Now, she leans heavily on a cane, her face gaunt and lined with weariness. However, it was the sorrow in her lackluster eyes that made him flinch. His mother was looking at him with such sadness that it shook him to his core.

His head whipped back to where his uncle’s ghost was, but he only saw the motionless pilot at the foot of the Tree. The branches swayed wildly as if there was strong wind about, but the air around him felt still. 

“Ben.”

“Ben Solo is gone,” Kylo Ren hissed, turning once more to his mother.

“No,” Leia replied, her voice strong despite her fragile appearance. “If you truly believed that, you would’ve struck me down already.”

“You’re only still standing because you no longer hold any importance to me,” he growled. “The Resistance is on its last legs, it will not be long before the First Order tramples it to oblivion, thanks to your precious pilot.”

“Much has happened since I discharged Poe Dameron from service,” Leia replied. “What information you have from assaulting that man’s mind no longer holds true.”

Leia paused and let out a deep sigh. “Your father was right, Ben. You have too much Vader in you, and that is entirely my fault. Just as it was my fault that what has been passed on to you by my blood was nurtured further by my shortcomings as a mother.”

She took a step towards her son. “And that is main reason why I am carrying on, continuing the fight even when I am so tired of fighting. The monster you have become is largely my doing. I am here now to put an end to that, something I should have done years ago.”

“So you have come to kill me then?”

“If it comes to that, yes,” Leia nodded. “If that is the only way I can stop this rampage, then I will.”

“Then do it,” Kylo Ren said coldly. “Give it your best shot. Give me all you’ve got, because this time, I will not hold back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hit a block as I was wrapping this tale up, and I'm still struggling to get over that. One chapter to go, and it will posted soon. The ending is not as fluid as I hoped it will be, but it's the best I could come up with after many months of wrestling with this work. I just wanted to finish this and move on. My apologies for what I believe is a sloppy and quite disappointing end to this story.


	7. Chapter 7

Rey was about to abandon her hiding place, every fiber of her being aching to get to Poe, when she witnessed how the apparition of Luke Skywalker threw Kylo Ren back. She didn’t even know what to make of Luke – was he a ghost, or did he come back to life, or had he evolved to a totally different being? He looked as if he was as she remembered him, but with an ethereal blue luminosity. She wanted to reach out to the Force to Luke, but with Kylo Ren so close by, it was a risk she wasn’t willing to take.

Her amazement heightened further when she saw Kylo Ren’s counterattack go through Luke harmlessly. Alarms went off her head when the fiery energy hit the Force Tree, close to where Poe was lying unmoving. Fortunately, the Tree seemed unharmed by it, the bolt not even leaving a mark on its great trunk. It did made the Tree’s branches sway as if being blown by a strong wind.

“Ben.”

Rey’s attention was drawn by the myriad of emotions that laced Leia’s voice when she spoke her son’s name. She knew Leia had a plan, but she was not expecting the general to be in Yavin IV, to confront her son like this. Then it began to make sense to her: how Leia was always asking how Rey’s training was going and how her connection with the Force and the Force Tree was. Leia had been remotely coaching Rey, doing her best to impart to the younger woman all she knew of the Force and the Jedi. Rey had been doing the exercises Leia said Luke had tried to get her to do when they were younger, when he was still trying to entice her to develop her skills with the Force. Rey had been been unabashedly honest with her progress reports, and while her progress was swift and remarkable, she knew she was lightyears away from being as skilled as Ben Solo. Nevertheless, this did not seem to dishearten Leia, who just kept encouraging Rey to carry on and push as hard as she could. She reassured Rey that should the time come for her to confront the fallen Jedi before she was truly ready, Leia had a contingency plan. It seemed that the time had come for her to reveal this plan.

Rey remained a silent and unmoving witness to the exchange between mother and son. Luke Skywalker vanished as quickly as he appeared. Leia did not flinch as he reappeared beside her, her full attention to her son. She tried to appeal to his conscience, pleading for him to abandon the First Order and the destructive mission he set out to do. Rey saw the transition in Leia, until she was no longer a general confronting the enemy but a mother trying to reason out with her wayward son. Leia did not mince her words, Rey heard her choke back a sob when she brought up what Ben did to his father and how it broke her. She made clear her disappointment and revulsion to the atrocities to countless innocents that Ben mowed down in his strive for supremacy, using the powers he inherited from her: Force-sensitivity, and the political benefits and privileges of being Leia Organa’s son.

As Leia unleashed her words, the man who used to be Ben Solo encircled her like a hunter stalking its prey. When Leia paused, spent and drained, he pounced, activating his lightsaber. However, Luke and Leia seemed to be anticipating this – working together, Luke once again used the Force to push his nephew back, while a flick of Leia’s wrist sent her son’s lightsaber flying beyond his reach. The deactivated weapon fell close to Poe Dameron’s feet.

“Now, Rey.” Leia ordered.

Rey was ready. She stormed out of her hiding place, activating her lightsaber as she barged straight to Kylo Ren. However, Kylo Ren was just as quick, he was on his feet before Rey was even half-way. His lightsaber flew back to his hands and he activated it just in time to fend off Rey’s attack. Rey had the advantage of being on the offensive, dictating the direction of their fight. However, Kylo Ren was much too experienced to be in this position for long. A few quick sly moves, and their positions were reversed. Rey found herself having to deflect his attacks.

But Rey was not alone in this fight. When it looked like he was starting to overpower her, Kylo Ren suddenly jerked back, as if punched in the gut. Without looking, Rey knew it was Luke’s doing. Leia once again disarmed her son, this time the lightsaber flying to her hand. 

Kylo Ren angrily took off his mask, and Rey nearly gasped with what she saw. His eyes had become red and flashing, with a network of purplish veins covering his pale face. She was not the only one surprised by his physical appearance – she heard Leia cry out at the sight of her son’s face. 

“Ben!” Leia cried desperately. “Stop this, you have to turn away from the Dark Side. Let me help you, all is not lost yet. But you have to turn now.”

With the way Ben looked at his mother, a look dripping so much contempt, Rey doubted the truth in Leia’s words. From where she stood, it looked like Ben Solo is completely gone. Her readings of ancient Jedi texts spoke of how forays in the Dark Side causes physical alterations – she had no doubts as to what brought about those changes in the man in front of her.

Before she could dwell more on this, her lightsaber flew from her grasp. In a split second, Leia was hurling the deactivated lightsaber she held to Rey’s direction. Rey caught it cleanly, a mere instant after Kylo Ren caught hers. Expecting him to charge back to her, Rey quickly activated his lightsaber and assumed a defensive stance. However, he spun to his left and instead charged into his mother. Realizing what he was about to do, Rey followed his charge. Having the advantage of speed, she maneuvered herself between mother and son, just in time to block his strike. Kylo Ren howled in fury, using his strength to bear down against her. Rey struggled to maintain her hold on the heavy lightsaber, and just as she felt him start to overpower her, a third lightsaber came to life – impaling Kylo Ren in the chest.

“I’m sorry son,” Leia cried, the lightsaber deactivating as she let go of it. Her son dropped Rey’s lightsaber before sinking to his knees, his hands on the wound on his chest. “Your father was right. And I can’t let you continue on this destructive path.”

“You should’ve finished me when you had the chance,” Kylo hissed, glaring at Luke, who was still beside Leia.

“I should have,” Luke agreed. “That will only have broken your family’s hearts, but saved a lot more heartbreak.”

Rey lowered her lightsaber as she watched him crumple to the ground. After he took his last breath, his physical body disappeared, his empty robes falling in heap on the ground. Leia fell down on her knees beside it, fully sobbing now, clutching her son’s robes. Rey took a tentative step away, glancing to her side to where Luke was. He gave her a small nod, looking defeated and broken, before quickly fading away.

Rey was left awkwardly standing a step away from Leia, unsure whether to comfort the older woman or to give her some space. She felt movement to her side, where Luke was just a moment ago, making her tear her eyes away from the grieving mother. She felt relief flood her upon seeing Poe standing next to her. He looked more than a little worse for wear, but that did not stop her from reaching out for him. It was only when she felt his arms go around her that she let her guard down. The war may not be over, but the battle she was preparing for was finally won.

*****

A strong wave of déjà vu gripped Poe within a few moments of opening his eyes. He was in his bed, in his old room, in his father’s house. He clearly remembers waking up like this not too long ago, and as he did then, he wondered if it was all a dream. His right hand reached up to feel his neck, and the sharp pain that the light touch of his fingers brought cleared any confusion. 

Kylo Ren. The kriffing Supreme Leader of the First Order had nearly squeezed the life out of him. Then he remembered the events he witnessed when he came to, making him release a deep sigh of relief. He woke up just in time to see Leia use her father’s lightsaber, the one that Rey had put back together, pierce her son’s heart, as Rey struggled to stop what could’ve been a fatal blow to Leia and herself.

Poe tried to raise his other hand, only to realize that it was anchored against something warm. His neck muscles screamed in protest as he gingerly turned his head to his left. His breath hitched at the sight that greeted him. 

Eyes closed, mouth slightly open, Rey lay on her side, facing him as she slumbered next to him. She hugged his left arm to her chest, clutching his hand between both of hers. A lock of hair strayed across her face, and he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out with his free hand to tuck it behind her ear. Her eyes fluttered open just as he was withdrawing his hand.

“Poe,” she murmured sleepily. She smiled as his hand went back to rest against her cheek. Turning her head slightly, she pressed a kiss to his palm. “How are you feeling?”

“Been better,” he tried to say, but it came out as a raspy whisper. He winced at the sound of his voice. “How are you?”

“Better now,” Rey returned, squeezing the hand she still held with both of hers. A comfortable silence descended between them, both finding comfort in the presence of the other as they gazed in each other’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, Poe,” Rey eventually said, keeping her gaze locked onto his. “For not letting you know where I went, about the plan…”  
Poe’s thumb settling on her lips stopped her from saying more. “Rey, stop. Did you think I was going to get upset with you for doing that?”

“Will you forgive me?” Rey asked instead of answering his question.

“There’s nothing to forgive,” Poe reassured her firmly.

Rey breathed out a huge sigh of relief. Poe continued to stroke her cheek with his thumb. “I should be thanking you. Thank you for helping me fight battles I couldn’t fight on my own.”

Rey let go of her hold on him and raised herself higher on the bed. She reached for him and pulled him closer until he was pressed close beside her, cradling his head to her chest. He wrapped an arm around her waist as she began to lovingly stroke his hair with her hand. She then voiced a concern that he himself had been musing about. “What are we going to do now?”

Poe did not answer right away. Leia had told him before she left Yavin IV that she never signed the orders terminating his commission, so he was still technically with the Resistance. She made it clear that she wanted him and Rey back in the thick of it, but only once they have fully recovered. The general was generous enough to assure him to take as much time as he needed.

The truth was, while Poe knew he would the physical injuries will eventually heal, he couldn’t say with the same certainty if his other wounds ever will. It still rocks him to the core whenever he thinks about how he was used to get valuable information about the Resistance. How he was used to get Rey. And how he was oblivious and helpless against it. Kylo Ren may be gone, but what if someone like him comes along again? Someone who can use the Force in the same way that he did?

“I don’t know,” he finally admitted. “I’d like to go back and do everything I can to end this war, but me going back might be too risky for them. Or for you.”

“If you’ll let me,” Rey began tentatively, “As long as I’m around, no one’s going to break into your mind again. I’ll make sure of that, if you’ll let me.”  
He tightened his embrace around her. “You really will do that?”

“Only if you’ll let me,” Rey said. She was glad he couldn’t see her face. She continued timidly. “I don’t ever want us to be apart again, Poe. Being away from you, even if I was here in your home, with your father, it still nearly killed me. I want to be with you, always. I hope that’s all right with you.”

Her words made Poe raise his head until he could look at her. He saw the blush on her cheeks, and he realized she was actually feeling self-conscious with her admission, probably appalled with this realization. Rey was not one to admit she needed anyone, she was constantly pushing everyone away. Yet here she was confessing she wanted him with her, that she choosing to be with him. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. “I should be the one asking you if you still want to be around me. I want nothing more than for us to be together always. I’m yours, Rey, for as long as you want me, and even after that.”

Rey gave him a loving smile as she reached up to cup his cheek with her hand. She repeated his words to him, promising the same thing, “And I’m yours, for as long as you want me, and even after that.”

They sealed their promises with a deep kiss. Breathless but happy, Poe rested his forehead against hers when the need for air made them break the kiss. He decided it was time to share with her what he had confessed to his father not too long ago. “You know, when I first got back, I thought the Tree was disappointed in me. Don’t laugh, and I know this will sound quite presumptuous but I used to feel that it favored me, and that somehow, by extension, the Force favored me. Primarily because I really love that Tree, and I took care of it as if it was family. And then I leave and start this campaign to help save the galaxy, and it’s been years since I had a chance to come back. I thought all those years away made me fall out of favor, and that’s when things started to go bad. Between the Force and me.”

“Do you still feel that way?”

Poe let himself back down on his bed, settling on his back. He reached for Rey, who scuttled down until she was ensconced in his arms, mirroring his position when she held him only a few moments ago. “Not anymore. I’ve come to realize that it’s always been on my side, even when things appeared to be quite bad. When I was in my lowest, it made our paths cross. It led me to the person who was strongest in the Force – you. It didn’t stop at that, we ended up sharing a friendship that developed into something so much more deeper. Then when I thought you have been taken from me, from my life, it turned out that it was only leading me back here, where things had strangely managed to work themselves out.”

Poe pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “I don’t know what I ever did to deserve this, but I think I have been and I still am in the Force’s good graces. After all, you’re still here with me, and we just exchanged promises that might just bind us for life.”

“I like that – being bound to you for life. And I think you’re right,” Rey replied with a happy sigh. “I’m glad I was included in this scheme of things. It still amazes me, and I think it will always amaze me, that we have what we have.”

With that, she raised her head and gave him the gentlest of kisses before resting her forehead against his. “Whatever the Force may have in store for us in the future, I can take it, as long as I’m with you, flyboy.”

“And I, with you,” Poe promised back. 

“So,” Rey pulled back, the corners of her mouth turning upward ever so slightly, betraying the beginnings of a smile. “Now that we’ve come to that conclusion, I’m going to ask again – what are we going to do now?”

“For now, I guess we focus on getting better. I’d like to stay here until we’re both ready to go back. What do you want?”

“To be with you, doesn’t matter where,” Rey answered firmly. “Wherever you go, I go.”

“I love you,” Poe groaned, feeling his heart swell with her words. “I love you.”

“I know,” Rey whispered, moving to close the distance between them once more. Poe met her half-way, kissing her with more urgency this time. Poe groaned again, pulling Rey as close as he can, and it wasn’t long before they fell into a familiar rhythm. Thoughts of luminous beings, the Resistance and the war they were still in fled from their minds as they began to quench their thirst for the other after being apart for months. They were one once again, consummating the vows they just exchanged. 

Their wounds may run deep, but together they have embarked on the road to recovery. It doesn’t seem to matter now if they’ll ever reach their destination. What mattered was they were on this journey together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all those who followed this to the end, thank you very much for spending some time to read this work.


End file.
